Social — Lindsay Starck

Letters from Cairo

Lindsay Starck writer, professor, adventurer

I want to make so many Earth Day posts that it's hard to choose just one of them! But I'll start with this: on a study abroad trip to the Netherlands a year ago, I learned from some Dutch urban planners that one third of all car trips in the United S

Here's my mom and me at the Milwaukee Public Library back in the 1980s! I hadn't written a book yet, but I enjoyed holding ones that other people had written. I'll be returning to my hometown this week to talk about my new novel, so if you're nearby

Registration is now open for the 12-Hour Writers Retreat hosted by the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild! I'll be the writer-in-residence, and I'm excited for a day that will include all the key steps of the writing process: generative prompts, free writ

Some favorite Friday morning things: a maple oat milk latte, a couple of toaster waffles, flowers still going strong since last week's launch, and three new books from three fantastic authors I'm looking forward to spending time with this weekend. If

Scenes from yesterday's snowfall. I call the items in this series: "March Madness," "Snow Falling on Cedar," "Carry a Big Stick," and "Puppy Love."

#minnesota #springtime #marchmadness #latespring #snow #redhe

There are a lot of difficult things, not pictured here-- the thousands of hours spent on pages that didn't make the final cut; the inbox full of rejections; the vulnerability of sending something you made out into the world to be judged by strangers.

Our most recent sojourn in Egypt was not without its challenges. We were sick more often than not; we were lonelier around the holidays than we thought we'd be; bugs plagued us at night and a sewage pipe exploded in our apartment. But! Between the do

Two months to pub date! Starred review from Publishers Weekly! Exciting and nerve-wracking!

https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780593471036

@vintageanchorbooks

We have a cover! And it's amazing! I'm very grateful to the team @vintageanchorbooks for creating a cover that feels true to the story beneath it. It's hard to believe that after so many years of living only in my mind and on my laptop, the novel wi

A few years ago, a friend remarked in an offhand way that polar bears might not be around by the time his son grows up. The line stayed with me and eventually became a story about a guy who runs "last-of" tours that take people to see anima

Just when you think you've got the world figured out...

#giant #swan #surprise #lakenokomis #nokomislife #travelswithcedar #tenthousand #lakes #redheeler #australiancattledog #dogsofinstagram #swansofinstagram

Instead of grading papers in the airport, I made a photo series with my pumpkin. People stared. Chris sighed. Overall, time well spent.

#carryon #pumpkin #domesticflight #halloween #spirit #thegreatpumpkin #airport #artistry #pietime

I call this one "my biggest Brussels sprout." Anyone have a doll's house that needs a vegetable? Or a gardening book to lend to me? I fear this may not get us through the winter.

#lessons in #gardening #miniature #brusselssprouts #vegetab

Happy #internationaldogday to our beautiful maniac. When Cedar came into our lives three years ago, I was determined to transform this sweet and nervous stray into the perfect dog. Instead, she transformed me into a (slightly) more easygoing human. S

In 1969, the French linguist Emile Benveniste suffered a stroke that rendered him aphasic: he lost the ability to use language. I wrote a brief piece of fiction inspired by Benveniste, and I'm so happy that it found a home with the journal Epiphany!

I've spent the past two weeks with a study abroad group focusing on sustainability, climate change, and speculative fictions and futures in the Netherlands. We've biked all over, met with urban planners, strolled past street art, visited floating nei

It took me seven years, but I finally finished my second novel! Don't let the flowers fool you... This one has monsters and ice storms and haunted lakes and sneaky fictions that slide out of the Internet and into the world. (Fish are not relevant...

Although people told us that Siwa Oasis was one of the most beautiful places in Egypt, we put off the trip because the only way to get there from Cairo is a twelve-hour overnight bus. When we finally took the plunge, we found that the ride was indeed

Went looking for an outdoor art exhibition at the pyramids. Fended off armies of enthusiastic trinket salesman and camel owners. Met a horse named Michael Jordan with a flatulence problem. Located two pieces of art (out of twelve). Ate an undercooked

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. - Annie Dillard, The Writing Life

How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. - Annie Dillard, The Writing Life